Nanowires are wires with very small diameters. The diameter of a nanowire is typically of the order of a nanometer. The length of a nanowire may vary but is usually at least tens or hundreds of nanometers in length. Nanowires may be formed from a material such as silicon.
Silicon nanowires provide one dimensional electronic pathways which enable efficient charge transport. This makes silicon nanowires useful for a number of different applications where efficient charge transport is needed. For example, silicon nanowires may be used as an electrical contact in a battery.
It is useful to be able to create nanowires using a simple and inexpensive method.